Akshay Makes Pad Man Fly High

By Avik Basak

After Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Akshay Kumar is back with another socio-drama, Pad Man that sheds light on the social taboo and restrictions that women of rural India face regarding their menstruation periods and the use of sanitary pads. The movie, directed by R. Balki, shows us the mirror of truth and raises the same old question of how can we develop as a country when we cannot uproot a basic problem like this? How can we call ourselves civilised and strong when we cannot provide the minimal importance and protection to the women in our society?

Based on the true story of  Arunachalam Muruganantham, Pad Man not only asks this question but also points out how reluctant we are to act or let someone else act, even if the solution is right in front of us. The most beautiful thing about the movie is that although it talks about women’s problems and how those should be dealt with, it has a man at its centre. So, it is quite justified, when a supporting character in the film utters, “Mard hone ka asli maza apne andar ke aurat ko jagaake aata hai.”

Set in 2003, the movie takes place in a rural village, where women prefer to die out of infection rather than addressing their menstrual problems. It showcases Laxmikant Chauhan, played by Akshay, and his struggle for inventing a cost-efficient sanitary pad so that his wife and other rural women who are unaware of the sensitivity of the issue get a better menstrual health.

At this point, if you think there is nothing wrong with this film, you would be jumping to a very wrong conclusion. The film suffers from some clumsy writing, especially dialogues, written by Balki which are a bit more direct for my liking. Also, the plot becomes a little too convenient at times to maintain the pace of the film as well as to cut down the runtime of the film.

It will not be wrong to say that Pad Man predominantly flies high based on the performance of its leading man. Akshay Kumar once again proved what an amazing actor he has become in the recent years and breathes life into his character. The scene, where he delivers a speech in front of the UN officials, was among the best things of the movie. Radhika Apte also did well but her role gave her limited possibilities. On the other hand, Sonam Kapoor gave another admiring performance after the one in Neerja which is proof that she has matured as an actress.

Although a bit sloppy in writing, Balki directs the movie well as he was able to weave the tale in a way that will captivate the audience but his special touch that we found in movies like Cheeni Kam and Shaamitabh was missing here. P.C. Sreeram’s cinematography is nice and is in sync with the tone of the movie. Same goes for Chandan Arora, who edits the film well enough. Amit Trivedi’s music here is also good as it features some amazing numbers in its soundtrack.

Overall, Pad Man is a crowd pleaser and it conveys the message it wanted to convey well enough. It may feel a little slack due to its writing but Akshay with his captivating performance definitely makes it worth a watch.

3.3 Stars Out of 5 from Me...